Chapter 271 215: The Trial of Piacenza

Eric left all the Tuscan Knights behind, stationing one hundred Norman Knights under Matilda's command.

He then led his eight hundred Norman Knights and the two hundred Wales Longbowmen he had brought from England, continuing his advance toward Milan City.

There were only two main mountain passes leading from the Empire's Germanic Region to Northern Italy, south of the Alps.

One pass exited into the Mantua Region within Tuscan territory; the other opened up near Milan City.

'If the Marquis of Milan has already asked the Emperor for help, the Emperor will most likely plan to enter Northern Italy through the pass near Milan City, not through Tuscan, whose rulers have all but openly sided with Gregory.'

'If I can seize control of Milan City beforehand, the chances of my ambush on the Emperor's army succeeding will be much higher. At the very least, I'll have the initiative.'

'The prerequisite is speed. I have to quickly destroy the armed forces of both the out-of-control Patulin Sect and the Marquis of Milan.'

However, after leaving Genoa and entering the Patulin Sect's sphere of influence, events began to unfold in a way Eric had not anticipated.

Just after crossing the border, he easily crushed two citizen militias of fewer than a hundred men each, and then he encountered no further resistance.

At first, Eric suspected the Patulin Sect was merely concealing its movements, plotting a surprise attack.

He therefore remained vigilant.

He strictly adhered to his originally planned route of march.

Since the Patulin Sect operated and preached primarily in the cities, Eric deliberately bypassed them, choosing instead to travel through the countryside.

As Eric had anticipated, most of the villagers knew nothing of the Patulin Sect. They only knew that the cities had recently grown tumultuous, and that many of their fellow villagers who had gone there had not returned.

Furthermore, bands of city dwellers would periodically raid the surrounding villages, destroying property and homes, trying to demolish the local Church, burning its Sacred Artifacts, and attacking the rural Priests, all while solemnly proclaiming their actions to be the will of God.

Many villages had contacted one another and formed patrol teams to defend against the hooligans and bandits who periodically sallied forth from the cities.

The village elders, who held a favorable view of the French, saw that Eric was from France and mistook his party for a group of French merchants traveling to Italy on business. They kindly advised him to stay away from the cities.

"The rule of law has been shattered there," they said. "Goodness has vanished. The wise have been cruelly exiled while the ignorant have grown impossibly powerful. Kind and wealthy gentlemen are bullied at will, and nearly everyone blasphemes God without restraint."

"They destroy His temples, burn His sacred vessels, murder His servants, and twist His teachings. Everyone has forsaken His mercy."

"God has vanished from the cities, and audacious men have taken His place."

"The Demon has come to earth. Christ's prophecy has come true; the Antichrist has arrived."

In several villages, the children were all singing a rhyme:

"The earth is weeping, and no one walks but in tears.

The noble are no longer honored; the base have become the masters.

Yesterday's rich now beg for alms, their children abandoned in the streets.

What was once sacred and inviolable is now a target for plunder.

Every man fears for himself; no one can foretell his own fate.

A rich man today may be a beggar tomorrow.

Gold and bronze are mixed as one; precious metal is no longer prized.

...

In days past, all was well-ordered and disciplined.

Now all has fallen into chaos; no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

The law is no longer respected; Judges no longer dispense justice.

Everything is turned on its head; violence rules the land.

The cities are all destroyed, the fields lie fallow, the rivers run dry.

No one knows when things will be as they once were.

...

Oh, Lord of Heaven, hear our prayer; restore to us our former glory and prosperity.

Why do You no longer care for us? We need Your light to illuminate this darkened land."

For this reason, the villagers seemed to have become much more devout. Where they once went to Church weekly, they now went at least three times a week. Confession, once a yearly affair at most, was now an almost daily ritual.

The rural Priest, who knew only a few words of Latin, forced himself to recite from the Bible and tell vague biblical stories, preaching to the even more illiterate villagers.

The chaos in the cities and the panic it inspired had made them all the more reliant on God.

This was perhaps good news for Eric. 'At least I won't have to expend energy dealing with the villagers,' he thought. 'On the contrary, they might even help my advance on Milan.'

This proved especially true after he helped the villagers defeat the Patulin bandits who had been plaguing them.

And so, encountering little resistance along the way, Eric and his men crossed the southern part of the Milan Marquisate and arrived at Piacenza.

This city was situated on the border between the Milan Marquisate and the Tuscan Duchy.

It first announced its presence with a pillar of smoke rising from the hills. Eric knew they were close, for they had been following the Po River eastward.

Wondering if the entire city was on fire, Eric climbed a small hill for a better view.

The city was far larger than the flames, which were burning outside the walls.